Please show your face

From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

Massachusetts state Sen. Dean Tran, of Fitchburg, wants to ban face covering by protesters/demonstrators. He’s right but he should go further. All face coverings in public (okay, exceptions for kids in Halloween masks) undermine law enforcement by often making identification of law breakers nearly impossible. That’s the major reason that 16 nations, including some Muslim ones, have banned the wearing of the Muslim women’s garment called the burqa, which covers a woman completely except for a thin screen to let them see. They are: Tunisia, Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Tajikistan, Latvia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, The Netherlands, China, Morocco and Sri Lanka.

In this case, public safety must overrule privacy or fear or timidity or whatever other reason for hiding your face.